14. Seed of the Wind

“Is she in a state of sudden enlightenment?” The Enlightened Dao Sovereign observed keenly. How could a little girl who had been cultivating for just over half a year suddenly undergo a breakthrough of this magnitude?

“Hurry, old bookworm, set up a barrier.” Sudden enlightenment would trigger changes in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; it was better not to disturb it.

“Should we bring A Yan out?”

“No need. Jiugé is only experiencing a minor enlightenment. A Yan nearby won’t interfere; it might even be beneficial,” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign shook his head.

Soon, the two were enclosed within an isolated space.

Zhou Yan entered meditation and sensed the surrounding primordial energy intensify and flow rapidly. Sensing something amiss, he immediately opened his eyes and noticed Jiugé’s state. Wow, Zhou Yan felt envious—his junior sister was undergoing sudden enlightenment.

Jiugé had entered a mysterious realm, feeling as if all the earthly winds around her obeyed her command.

Within her sea of consciousness, an unknown sword was voraciously absorbing primordial energy. Its dull gray form began to shed, revealing the sword’s true appearance.

“This kind of energy absorption shouldn’t occur at the Mortal Comprehension stage,” Li Yun frowned. Even at the Unrestricted stage, no one dared to absorb energy so aggressively.

“Let’s wait and see first,” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign said. From what they observed, Jiugé was fine—it could only be said that this girl possessed extraordinary talent.

Zhou Yan also felt it; his body involuntarily refined itself through cultivation, leaping from the sixth to the ninth tier of the Mortal Comprehension stage in one bound, with no sign of stopping.

“This is bad. A Yan’s cultivation is advancing too rapidly,” Li Yun’s expression darkened. Yet now, neither dared to act rashly—Jiugé’s minor enlightenment was absorbing more energy than others’ major breakthroughs.

“Terrible, the runes on his back are about to crack,” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign sensed the looseness of the runes on Zhou Yan’s back. If his aura erupted uncontrollably, the consequences would be beyond the bearing of their Mount Dai Sect.

“Forcibly interrupting Jiugé would backfire and injure her meridians, ruining her.”

“But if we don’t interrupt, it will destroy the entire Mount Dai Sect.”

Their conversation laid bare the dilemma they faced.

“I will use every means to restore Jiugé,” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign said solemnly.

Just as they prepared to act, a powerful gust of wind elemental energy surged in, causing the Enlightened Dao Sovereign to pause.

Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky, brewing something ominous.

The golden sword within Jiugé emerged from her body and stood upright above her head in a protective stance.

Wrapped in wind elemental energy, the unknown sword in her consciousness gave a ringing sound. Within her dantian, something was trying to break through.

“This is... a wind seed,” Jiugé, now semi-conscious, realized.

She thought of her senior brother, who emitted a strangely pleasant aroma but was in poor condition.

To condense an elemental seed, one must undergo the judgment of the Heavenly Dao. Her senior brother’s state was likely due to a special constitution, a condition that should only appear in the underaged. Thus, her nearly six-foot-tall senior brother probably wasn’t much older than her.

After pondering, Jiugé made a bold decision. The unknown sword seemed to understand her resolve, condensing an extraordinarily domineering sword aura.

Jiugé used the wind element to gently lift the unconscious Zhou Yan. She stripped off his upper garment and indeed found cracks on the runes on his back.

“What is Jiugé doing?” Li Yun frowned, observing with spiritual insight.

“A Yan’s aura is emanating, and since he is at the center, he will certainly attract attention. Given that he is undergoing the Thunder Tribulation, his constitution might actually help. Rash fellow, apologies,” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign took a deep breath, preparing to intervene.

“Old bookworm, wait, look!”

Jiugé extended her right index finger and began tracing patterns on Zhou Yan’s back. Each stroke emitted a blood-red glow.

“How is this possible?” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign muttered, his right hand still poised to attack.

“It’s truly astonishing. But Jiugé can’t even form a first-level rune properly—she’s repairing cracks in the runes. Moreover, the runes on A Yan’s back are extremely complex, a combination of three level-seven runes. Old bookworm, is Jiugé’s sequence correct?” Li Yun was shocked. His disciple was clearly inept in rune arts—how could she repair runes without guidance?

“The order is a bit haphazard, but, rash fellow, A Yan’s aura is gradually being concealed.” When he and the master, uncle, and junior brother first inscribed the combined level-seven rune, it emitted a silvery-white light. Now, it had turned blood-red. They didn’t know if it might shatter again.

Jiugé focused intently on depicting the runes. Wherever her brush touched, the runes seemed to come alive. Her eyes gleamed with an intense purple, each stroke landing precisely where it should. Though ignorant of such intricate runes, she could discern their flow.

For the final stroke, her sword aura weakened. Jiugé pointed her finger skyward, and a slender lightning bolt descended. She stifled a grunt, enduring the pain as she borrowed the power of the tribulation lightning to finish the last stroke.

In an instant, the runes seemed to awaken, emitting an eerie red glow interspersed with arcs of thunder.

“The Heavenly Dao acknowledges it. A Yan’s runes are now more stable,” Li Yun’s grip tightened involuntarily.

“This rune formation will have no issues for at least thirty years,” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign, more far-sighted, immediately assessed its lifespan.

“What is Jiugé doing?” Li Yun stared in disbelief as Jiugé manipulated wind elements to lift Zhou Yan high into the air before withdrawing the wind energy.

The Enlightened Dao Sovereign caught Zhou Yan. Below them, the elemental wind energy erupted violently, mingling with the long-brewing heavenly thunder.

“Wow, the Wind-Thunder Ninth Tribulation,” Li Yun was astonished as the tribulation lightning descended.

“Senior brothers,” the voice of the Sect Leader arrived.

“Junior brother,” the Enlightened Dao Sovereign supported Zhou Yan, who was just now adjusting his attire.

“What is A Yan doing? His cultivation is advancing so fast? Is my senior brother really better at teaching disciples? It’s a little bittersweet,” the Sect Leader looked at his disciple with mixed feelings.

“A Yan is fine, and the problem is solved,” Li Yun said, repositioning Lin Jiuci in his arms.

“Right now, Jiugé is undergoing the tribulation—passing through the Wind Seed tribulation.”

“Jiugé has already condensed an elemental seed!” The Sect Leader was shocked and stunned. No wonder everyone wanted to apprentice under the Enlightened War Senior Brother—their skill in teaching disciples was enviable.

To dare to challenge ranks beyond her level just after starting cultivation, to endure hardship and suffering, and now to cultivate a wind seed during a mere small trial! Moreover, the sect’s back mountain was quite ordinary. How did she manage to cultivate a wind seed in such an unremarkable environment? Those envious kept silent.

“That was the first lightning bolt of the Wind-Thunder Ninth Tribulation. With the golden sword protecting her, she must still be alive,” Li Yun’s last words were filled with worry. He never expected that a mere trial would produce such a grand spectacle. He hadn’t prepared any defensive measures for his disciple, so he could only hope she still had a breath left.

? This was the highest-level tribulation lightning recognized by the elemental seed. If word got out about taking such a disciple, who knew how many would turn green with envy!

Jiugé, now facing the second tribulation lightning, was far from comfortable. Shouldn’t tribulations proceed gradually? How had hers turned into a relentless storm that wouldn’t relent until she was dead? What had she done to deserve this?